What Must be Done
by sassafrasss
Summary: As Sasuke kills countless samurai in the Land of Iron, Sakura and Naruto know what must be done.


Naruto still had the outfit Sasuke punched a hole through.

It hung in his closet like a dejected memory in the back of his brain. Sometimes he opened his closet, shuffled through the multiple outfits of orange until he reached the back, away from the light, where the only orange and blue jumpsuit from his childhood remained, and touched the hole. It freshened the memories covered in cobwebs in his head, coated thickly with the Nine Tails angry chakra.

Naruto had choked, and let it happen. He nearly died, and it was only his utter astonishment at Sasuke's attempt on his life that had made him divert the Uchiha's hand. Naruto had been outraged that Sasuke could betray him this deeply.

Leaving the village, Naruto could swallow and summon the spirit to bring him back.

Crushing Sakura's heart, Naruto found utterly cruel, but had been coming down the pipeline for awhile.

Cut the bonds of their friendship, Naruto could choc it up to momentary delusion, and he would fight to keep them.

But to kill him for power?

Naruto couldn't take it. It was the most superficial and fake reason to kill a friend ever. Not only was it not worth it, but Naruto knew what raw power was, and it was a curse and a blessing with baggage. So he beat the snot out of Sasuke.

And yet, in the end, all of Kyuubi's flourish was useless. Sasuke got away.

Still, Naruto was determined to talk (or beat) Sasuke into coming home, no matter how much everyone else hated him where home was.

It wasn't until Sakura showed up to his tent in the land of Iron that he was confronted with the truth. While the Kage meeting was going on, Sakura came into his tent, and immediately began crying.

Gently, Naruto reached for her, and she pushed herself into his embrace, burying her face in his shoulder and neck.

He asked what was wrong, and what she was doing here. (He almost wished he hadn't asked.)

She took a few deep breaths and said,_ "I've come to do what must be done…" _Then she raised her head, and looked him in the eyes. She really looked at him, in a way she never had before. In a sick, agonizing way that told him that something had broke in her.

"_We have to kill him, Naruto."_ She whispered_, "He's killing people, he's starting war, breeding hate…"_

"_He's killing himself, Naruto…"_

"_Sasuke is beyond saving. This… this is all that's left… and you know that only we can do it."_

Even as every fiber of his being screamed _NO!_ there was a tiny seed of a voice in the back of his brain that had grown larger and larger with every encounter with Sasuke that _knew_ she was right.

It had to be Konoha Nins.

More importantly, it had to be the pieces of Team Seven.

Crushed, Naruto sat and thought about it, but not for long. At that time, Yamato burst into the tent and informed Naruto and Sakura that Sasuke was there, and he was on a rampage with the Samurai and in a stand off with the Raikage.

It wasn't until Naruto saw the bodies of the samurai scattered around the field that the Demon Vessel knew it was the end.

It was time to do what must be done.

Flashes of lightning and fire greeted two thirds of team seven as they watched Sasuke attack the Raikage with furious cold precision.

Sakura touched his hand, and he turned to her and nodded.

_("We work together this time, Naruto.") _

Together, they shed their cloaks.

Naruto shouted his name, and Sakura informed the Raikage of their decision. From a distance, Naruto could see his anger, but Sakura put her foot down, cracks in the earth spreading from it and he could see her mouth forming firm words. One of the Kumo Nins stepped up, and convinced the Raikage to step down.

Sasuke ignored Naruto's voice and used the opportunity to attack the Raikage, regardless of Sakura being directly in front of him.

Naruto met his blade with a rasengan, just before it cut down Sakura and the Raikage.

The only Kunoichi of their team joined the battle soon after.

Exhausted and bleeding, Naruto and Sakura stood over Sasuke, hundreds of cuts on his and bruises forming as they watched. He bled from his nose and mouth and shirt was torn and bloody. His hair was mussed and dirty and his left rib cage looked like it had been stepped upon. He lay embedded in the hard tundra ground where he had been pounded down.

He was staring at them with his unreadable eyes, dark circles under the bottom lid as the Sharingan red faded to black.

Naruto twitched from being electrocuted, and Sakura was singed and burned everywhere. Her left eye was swollen shut and dark purple bruises and cuts dappled her bare legs and arms. Naruto also sported dark bruises and sword cuts of all kinds of depths.

But they stood, and they watched, staring right back at Sasuke, even as silent tears slipped down their cheeks. They watched as Sasuke took his last three breaths, each one more labored than the last, the thick gurgling of blood echoing from his lungs and out his mouth, specks frothy blood full of air spattering onto his cheeks and lips.

Then, his eyes glazed and his lids closed, and Sasuke Uchiha died.

Naruto brought Sasuke back to Konoha in a coffin, and he buried him in the abandoned Uchiha complex.

Only Sakura, Kakashi, and Naruto came to the funeral although no one else had been invited. It was an unspoken agreement that it would be silent throughout. The gravestone was a simple square with only Sasuke's name, but it was enough.

Sakura and he never visited Sasuke's grave in the Uchiha Ghost town.

The outfit with the hole in Naruto's closet remained forever untouched.


End file.
